Woodworking jointer



y 22, 1962 I w. L. GASKELL 3,035,619

WOODWORKING J OINTER Filed June 2, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 22, 2 w. L. GASKELL 3,035,619

WOODWORKING J OINTER- Filed June 2, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. P H 144/237 4 ads/1e 72.

May 22, 1962 w. L. GASKELL 3,035,619

WOODWORKING JOINTER Filed June 2, 1958 4 SheetsSheet 4 INVENT OR.

M472 6? dsje/Z a FIVE/9'.

United States Patent 3,035,619 WOODWORKING J OINTER Walter L. Gaskell, Ypsilanti, Mich, assignor to King- Seeley 'fixermos Co., a corporation of lvlichigan Filed June 2, 1958, Ser. No. 739,144 Claims. (Cl. 144-129) This invention pertains to an improved jointer, and more particularly, but not necessarily exclusively to an improved fence support and front table supporting and adjusting mechanism for a jointer of the home wood workshop type.

One important object of the present invention is to provide an improved jointer which is simple, accurate, smooth, and dependable in operation, and of rugged yet inexpensive construction.

Another object is to provide an improved support and adjustment mechanism for the front table of a jointer or similar tool.

Another object is to provide an improved support and tilt adjusting mechanism for the fence of a jointer or the like.

Another object is to provide an improved support and adjustment mechanism for the front table of a jointer, including an inclined plane support, a crank-actuated drive arrangement for driving the front table along the inclined support to adjust its height, and a self-locking safety device, height adjustment and release of the safety lock being accomplished by manipulating a single handle.

Still another object is to provide an improved fence support and adjustment mechanism for a jointer or the like including an easily lockable, sliding bar for supporting the fence and for adjusting its position horizontally across the jointer, and an adjustable triangular truss arrangement for adjusting the tilt of the fence.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken together with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a jointer representing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the jointer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the jointer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken generally along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the section line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the section line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view generally similar to the view of FIG. 6, but showing the jointer with the front table in a different position of adjustment; and

FIG. 10 (Sheet 1) is an enlarged fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view, particularly showing details of the construction of the fence locking cam.

Referring now to the drawings, the jointer shown therein representing a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a base 10, which is preferably made as a unitary casting, and the rear portion of which has a smoothly finished flat upper surface constituting the rear table 12 of the jointer. The front table 14 rests upon inclined ways 18 formed on the front portion of the base 10, and may be made of another unitary casting having inclined sliding surfaces 16 (FIG. 3) which rest on the ways 18 for smoothly guiding thefront table 14 therealong.

The cutter head 20 is rotatively mounted, as upon the ice ball bearings 22 illustrated (FIG. 4) in the base 10 just forwardly of the rear table 12, and beneath the level of the rear table so that the cutter blades 24 may be adjusted to project upwardly just to or very slightly above the level of the rear table.

The fence 26 is carried by a bracket assembly 28 fixed at the outer end of a supporting bar 30, which is slidably and lockably received in the base 10. The fence 26 is adjustable not only laterally across the base 10, but also may be tilted to provide any desired angle of out.

A blade guard 32 is mounted near the rear of the front table 14 and normally extends over the cutter head 20. It is swingable in a horizontal plane to permit a workpiece to pass between the guard 32 and the fence 26, and is spring-urged toward the fence 26 in order to provide automatic protection against accidental blade contact.

Front Table The front table 14, as hereinabove mentioned, rests upon the inclined ways 18 and is slidable therealong to vary the height of the table and thereby to adjust the depth of cut of the jointer. The front table 14 is secured to the base 10 by means of a stud 34 (FIG. 2) which is fixedly secured in an embossment 36 on the underside of the front table 14, and which extends downwardly through a longitudinal slot 38 in the sloping front wall 40 of the base. At its lower end, the stud 34 carries a resilient biasing assembly 42, which rides along a wear plate 44 mounted beneath the front wall 49 immediately surrounding the slot 38, and urges the front table 14 into pressure engagement with the ways 18. The biasing assembly 42, as illustrated, comprises two fiat washers 46, and a relatively thick, resiliently compressible rubber pad 48 which is retained within a metal cup 49 and mounted between the two washers 46. This assembly 42 is fitted upon the stud 34, and held in compression by a pair of mutually lockin g nuts 51, thus resiliently urging the front table 14 downwardly upon the base 10 and providing resilient yielding action to accommodate any misalignment between the slope of the ways 18 and the slope of the wear plate 44.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 6 and 9, the front table 14 is drivable up and down along the ways 18 by a crank 50, the shaft 52 of which is journaled through the left side wall of the front table, as viewed in FIG. 3. A vertically extending bracket 54 is fixed upon the sloping front wall 40 of the base, and the crank pin 56 extends through a slot 58 formed in the bracket 54. The slot 58 confines the pin 56 for travel in a direction generally perpendicular to the ways 18 so that when the crank 50 is rotated, the pin 56 bears against one of the longitudinal walls of the slot 58, and the crankshaft 52 is driven in translation, driving the front table 14 dong the ways 18. At its outer end, the shaft 52 carries a handle 60 (FIGS. 1 and 3) by which the crank is manually rotated to raise or lower the front table 14.

The front table 14 may be rigidly locked in any desired position by means of a setscrew 53, which is threaded through the right-hand wall 55 of the [front table and is positioned to engage a boss 57 on the front wall 40 of the base. For convenience in operation, the setscrew 53 is preferably of the bent wrench type as illustrated. When it is tightened, the setscrew 53 bitingly engages the boss 57 with any desired degree of lateral pressure and thus holds the front table 14 rigidly in its pro-set position relative to the base 10.

As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the front table 14 is also releasably locked against downward travel along the ways 18 by a safety check arrangement including a bar 62 which is fixed to the front table 114, as by the screws (not separately designated) shown in'FIG. 1, and which extends forwardly beneath the table 14 between and generally parallel to the ways 18. A hardened steel plate 66, having an aperture 72 of similar shape but slightly larger than the cross section of the bar 62, is fitted upon the bar 62. The plate 66 is loosely fitted upon the bar 62 and is supported by a dog 64, which backs up the plate 66 and controls its angular position on the bar 62.

' A spring 68 is fitted around the bar 62 in compression between the front table 14 and the plate 66, and urges the dog 64 together with the hardened steel plate 66 forwardly, or downwardly along the bar 62 and into engagement with a vertically extending arm 70 of the bracket 54, which is positioned at one side of the bar 62. The dog, together with the hardened steel plate 66 is thus canted out of axial alignment with the bar 62 so that the edges of the aperture 72 in the hardened steel plate bite into and retain the bar 62 against downward travel. The front table 14 is thus normally locked against downward travel along the ways 18 but is not restrained against upward movement by the check arrangement When the table 14 is moved upwardly, the dog 64 is free to move with the bar 62, and as it starts to move, the spring 68 urges it downwardly again so that it remains in engagement with the bracket arm 70 at all times. The spring 6% keeps the dog 64 constantly in engagement with the arm 70 of the bracket 54 and thus substantially eliminates backlash.

The arrangement is such that when the setscrew 53 is loosened the front table 14 may be moved upwardly along the ways merely by turning the crank 50 in the appropriate direction, but cannot be moved downwardly along the ways without releasing the grip of the hardened steel plate 66 upon the bar 62. Releasing the grip is accomplished by means of the crank 50, which, as perhaps best shown in FIG. 7, is laterally slidable in the base, being urged inwardly by a spring 75. The crank arm 77 is positioned just to the right of the forwardly extending leg 76 of the dog as viewed in the drawings, and when the crank 59 is manually drawn outwardly against the urging of the spring 75, the arm 77 engages the leg 76 of the dog and pivots the dog into alignment with the bar 62, thus releasing the biting grip of the hardened steel plate 66 on the bar 62 and unlocking the table 14 for downward travel. The arrangement is extremely simple, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, yet provides a rugged and reliable safety check.

The depth of cut, that is, the vertical distance the front table 14 is lowered below the cutting edges of the blades 24, is indicated by a pointer 78 which is mounted Fence Support and Adjustment Assembly Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the fence 26 may beformed, as' illustrated, of a hollow aluminum extrusion, the ends of which are closed by a pair of plastic end caps 90 to improve its appearance and to prevent 'the entry of chips and debris. The fence 26 is supported upon the sheet metal bracket 23, which comprises a relatively stifi and rigid sheet metal base plate 92, and a relatively lightweight sheet metal upper plate 94, forming an adjustable triangular truss arrangement for supporting the fence 26 at any desired cutting angle. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 5, the base plate 92 is composed of a pair of relatively heavy sheet metal stamp lugs 96 and 98, which are structurally formed and spot welded together to provide a highly rigid support for the fence 26.

One leaf 160 of a piano hinge 102 is spot welded along the left-hand edge of the base plate 92, and the other leaf 104 of the hinge is attached as by the screws 106 illustrated to the fence 26 along the lower edge therea of, providing a relatively rigid and sturdy hinge connection between the fence and the base plate 92. 'A pair of downwardly extending bumps 103 are formed along the leaf 1% of the hinge to insure adequate spacing of the fence 26- above the front and rear tables 12 and 14, respectively. These bumps 168 act as limit stops to prevent excessive tilting of the fence 26 in a vertical plane longitudinally along the jointer and serve to keep the fence 26 away from the cutter head 20.

The upper plate 94 is pivotally attached to the fence 26 by means of a snap spring arrangement. The left-hand edge of the plate 94 is formed with an arcuate flange 116, two longitudinally spaced portions (not separately designated) of which are struck upwardly toform bearing surfaces. A pair of arcuately shaped, leaf-type springs 112 are secured to the upper plate 94 immediately beneath the bearing portions of the flange 110, forming in conjunction therewith resilient cylindrical structures, which are resiliently retained within a re-entrantly curved, longitudinally extending groove 114 formed in the right-hand face of the fence 26. This arrangement permits limited rotational movement of the upper plate 94 with respect to the fence 26.

The upper plate 94 is pivotally connected near its outer edge to the base plate 92 by means of an elongated pin 116 which extends through slots 118 formed in the front and rear skirt portions of the upper plate 94, and through apertures (not separately designated) in a pair of tabs 120 which are lanced and struck upwardly from the base plate member 96. One end of the pin 116 is threaded and carries a knurled nut 122, which is tightened to bind the upper plate 94 to the base plate 92. The skirt portions of the upper plate 94 slide along the outer sides of the tabs 120, so that when the nut 122 is tightened upon the pin 116, the head of the pin at one end and the nut at the other end squeeze the skirt portions of the upper plate 94 against the tabs 120 and bind the upper plate 94 against lateral movement relative to the base plate 92, thus securely locking the fence in a desired angular position.

A pointer 124 is adjustably secured to the base plate 92 and extends upwardly through a slot 126 in the upper plate 94 adjacent to a scale 128, which is fixed upon the upper surface of the upper plate 94. The scale 128 is preferably calibrated in degrees of tilt of the fence 26 from 90 to 45 for ease in selecting a desired angle of cut.

The tilt limits for the fence 26 are-set by a pair of setscrews 130 and 132 (FIG. 3) which are threaded in appropriate apertures in the upper plate 94 and in the base plate 92, respectively. The 90 limit setscrew 13%) extends through the right-hand skirt portion of the upper plate 94 and is positioned to engage an upstanding tab 134 fixed to the base plate 92 when the fence 26 is in a substantially vertical position. The screw 13%? is adjusted with'the aid of a combination square set between the back table 12 and the fence 26, and is preferably adjusted to limit the inward rotation of the fence 26 to a substantially right angle with respect to the tables 12 and 14. The maximum outward inclination of the fence 26 is limited by the setscrew 132, which is threaded through the base plate 92 and strikes the sloping right-hand wall 136 of the fence when the fence is tilted outwardly to its lowermost position. The screw 132 is preferably adjusted to'limit the outward tilt of the fence 26 to about 45 As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bracket assembly 28 is supported upon the base 10 by means of the rod 39 which is slidably received in an aperture 137 in the right-hand wall of the base 10 and also through an aperture 138 (FIG. 1) in a depending 'embossment 144? formed integrally with the base 10 beneath the rear table 12 and spaced inwardly from the right-hand wall of the base. This provides a two-point suspension for the rod 36 and holds it rigidly in position while permitting sliding movement of the rod from left to right across the 'jointer for positioning the fence 26 for any desired length of cut. A separate bracket 142 is rigidly secured to the bracket 23 and to the rod 30 for supporting the fence 26 in a desired vertical position Spaced above'the rod 36 Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 10, the rod 30 may be locked against sliding in the base to hold the fence firmly in position during operation by means of an adjustable wedging type cam 144 carried by a rotatable shaft 146, which extends through the left-hand wall of the base 10, and upon which a decoratively finished handle 148 is mounted exteriorly of the jointer. When the handle 148 is moved to turn the cam 144 into wedging engagement with the rod 30, the fence 26 is firmly locked in position and is rigidly held against transverse movement relative to the jointer base 10. When, however, the handle is turned to loosen the cam 144 from engagement with the shaft 30, the fence may be manually adjusted to any desired position or may be removed from the base if desired.

The earn 144 is made adjustable on the shaft 146 so that the locking position of the handle 148 may be set at any convenient angle for the operator. As shown, the cam 144 comprises a bushing 150 having an internal diameter larger than the diameter of the shaft 146. The bushing 150 is fitted loosely upon the shaft and is adjustably positioned eccentrically with respect thereto by a screw 152, which is threaded diametrically through the shaft 146. The point of the screw 152 includes a pilot portion 158, which extends into a guide hole 156 formed in the bushing, and a shoulder 159, which bears against the inner wall of the bushing. The screw is preferably sufficiently long so that its head 160 extends into a clearance hole 154 formed in the bushing opposite from the guide hole 156. Thus, the screw 152 not only positions the bushing 150 eccentrically with respect to the shaft 146, but also secures the bushing against axial, rotational, and skewing movement relative to the shaft.

With this arrangement, the eccentricity of the cam 144 may be readily and quickly adjusted by turning the screw 152 in the appropriate direction, so that the cam 144 will engage and lock the rod 30 when the handle is at any desired angular position within a relatively wide range.

It will thus be seen that the jointer of the present invention is of relatively light and inexpensive yet rugged construction having a minimum number of parts, many of which may be made by inexpensive sheet metal stamping techniques. Also, provision is made for full adjustability to compensate for wear, or for inaccuracies in manufacture. The jointer is capable of fully accurate and dependable work, and has a minimum number of relatively simple, conveniently arranged controls.

What is claimed is:

1. A jointer comprising a base having a downwardly sloping front wall portion, ways extending longitudinally along said wall portion, a front table slidably mounted on said ways, and a crank journaled in said front table and having a shaft extending thereunder transversely with respect to said ways, a handle mounted on said shaft exteriorly of said front table for rotating said shaft, an upstanding portion on said base defining a slot extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of said ways, and a crank pin connected to and radially offset from said shaft and extending through said slot whereby rotation of said crank effects movement of said table relative to said base.

2. A jointer comprising a base having a downwardly sloping front wall portion, ways extending longitudinally along said wall portion, a front table slidably mounted upon said ways for smoothly guided travel therealong, a crank journaled in said front table and having a shaft extending thereunder transversely with respect to said ways, a handle mounted on said shaft exteriorly of said front table for rotating said shaft, a sheet metal bracket fixed to said base upon the sloping front wall portion thereof adjacent to said ways and having an upstanding longitudinally extending sheet metal portion defining a slot extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of said ways, a crank pin connected to and radially offset from said shaft and extending through said slot whereby rotation of said crank effects movement of said table relative to said base.

3. A jointer comprising a base having a downwardly sloping front wall portion, ways extending longitudinally along said wall portion, a front table slidably mounted on said ways for smoothly guided travel therealong, said sloping front wall portion of said base defining an elongated slot extending generally parallel to said ways and therebetween, a stud fixed to said front table and extending downwardly therefrom through said slot, a resiliently yieldable device carried by said stud and bearing upon the bottom surface of said sloping front wall portion for resiliently urging said front table into pressure engagement with said ways, a crank journaled in said front table and having a shaft extending thereunder transversely with respect to said ways, a handle mounted on said shaft exteriorly of said front table for rotating said shaft, a sheet metal bracket fixed to said base upon the sloping front wall portion thereof adjacent to said ways and having an upstanding longitudinally extending sheet metal portion defining a slot extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of said ways, a crank pin connected to and radially offset from said shaft and extending through said slot in said bracket whereby rotation of said crank effects movement of said table relative to said base.

4. A jointer comprising a base having a downwardly sloping front wall portion, ways extending longitudinally along said wall portion, a front table slidably mounted upon said ways for smoothly guided travel therealong, a crank journaled in said front table and having a shaft extending thereunder transversely with respect to said ways, a handle mounted on said shaft exteriorly of said front table for rotating said shaft, a sheet metal bracket fixed to said base upon the sloping front wall portion thereof adjacent to said ways and having an upstanding longitudinally extending sheet metal portion defining a slot extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of said ways, a crank pin connected to and radially offset from said shaft and extending through said slot whereby rotation of said crank effects movement of said table relative to said base, a check arrangement for releasably locking said table against downward travel along said ways including a bar fixed to said table and extending generally parallel to said ways, an apertured plate fitted upon said bar, said sheet metal bracket having a second vertically extending arm portion positioned alongside said bar and below said plate for canting said plate with respect to said bar and thereby causing said plate to bitingly engage said bar when said table is urged downwardly along said ways and to lock said table against downward travel, said crank being laterally slidable with respect to said table, and abutment means carried by said plate for engagement with the crank arm of said crank when said crank is moved laterally from its normal position whereby said lateral movement of said crank is effective to pivot and disengage said plate from said bar and thus to unlock the table and permit downward travel thereof.

5. A jointer comprising a base having a downwardly sloping front Wall portion, ways extending longitudinally along said wall portion, a front table slidably mounted on said ways, resilient means for urging said front table into pressure engagement with said ways, a crank journaled in said front table and having a shaft extending thereunder transversely with respect to said Ways, a handle mounted on said shaft exteriorly of said front table for rotating said shaft, an upstanding portion on said base defining a slot extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of said ways, and a crank pin connected to and radially offset from said shaft and extending through said slot whereby rotation of said crank effects movement of said table relative to said base.

(References on following page) References Cited in the fi1e of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Preston Mar. 2, 1869 Bugbee et a1. Mar. 8, 1892 D Bugbee et a1. Mar. 8, 1892 Clark Jan. 3, 1911 Merrigan July 9, 1935 Boice July 28, 1936 Bousman Feb. 9, 1943 Heinrich -2 Jan. 15, 1946 Van Dam July 1, 1952 Gaskell Dec. 2, 1952 Taylcr Aug. 27, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden Oct. 26, 1948 

